I am going to give you a breakdown of my ... er ... work ... playtime .... income .... I'm a UK based Web Designer, Web Developer, Internet Consultant. I build websites, content management systems and internet solutions for anybody who can afford me. I am a prostitute!! Yes! A prostitute - I use my website to sell my wares and hope that client enjoys result if they decide to pick me up. I like to think of myself as giving good head to a "web enabled userbase". Apparently prostitution is "oldest trade". Well if that's so then I've been doing same as long at internet has been available to home users here in UK.
It's been nearly 8 years since I first logged on to internet from my home. Prior to that I'd used gopher servers via mdx.ac.uk as a student in early 90's. Prior to that BBS's were fun. I now find myself working from home as a kind of web dogsbody. Just me, four cats, 2 horses, my son and my amazing partner down here on a 6 acre smallholding in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. I have several titles:
Web Designer
I use this if a client needs me to make images to make their site "pretty". Web design has been written about by Guru's in their ivory mansions. At end of day what is it? It's being able to realise clients vision without resorting to cheesy backgrounds and blinking text. Keep it nice and clean.
If your a web designer with a difficult client.. do not do what they want!! Just tell them what they should do or drop them. The previous statement depends on two things:
How much do you KNOW your right?
How much are they're PAYING you?
Most of us now know what is good design..